passingmod | App Procedures Explanation Post

Since transparency is good for everyone and we have more going on behind the scenes than it seems, I thought I'd write up a post about how we review apps!

We have an flocked post in the mod journal (which is why it won't be friending anyone that isn't a mod), and within that post we discuss apps as they come in. Each app gets its own thread, and we go in order as much as we can. Sometimes things get skipped around, because...

An app gets stamped once:
1.) Two mods agree to accept it.
2.) Two mods agree to revision requests.
3.) All or majority mods agree to decline it.

Obviously, this takes more or less discussion depending on the app and the situation. If we're on the fence, we might ask a friend that's familiar with the canon to look it over for us and give us their opinion, but this is only as an outside assessment. There's no guarantee that we'll go along with what they say.

We abstain on our own apps, and if there are mods familiar with the canon in question, they're the ones who review it. If none of us are, it's more of a first come, first serve basis on who looks it over.

WHAT WE LOOK FOR IN AN APP

→ Keep in mind what version they're applying for, V1 or V2+. If their application seems like it fits a version that isn't what they applied for, and we don't have a character for that version yet, we can simply ask if they'd be okay accepting us changing their V#. However, if we already have, say, a V1, and they're applying for a genderswapped V2+ where the only difference in the entire character is their gender, that's too close to accept.

→ This brings us to, how close is too close to canon to accept? If an app is close, it will probably take some discussion. The point in not having AUs that are close to canon is to prevent people feeling that their character is being usurped. Basically, we want fully developed, well thought out AUs. We can always ask for more elaboration if we need it.

→ Consistency across their description of the personality and their voice samples.

→ Grammar and spelling, obviously, especially in their writing sample. We want a certain amount of flow, including a relatively high stylistic quality. It doesn't need to be professional quality writing, but it should have some heart in it. That said, having a good grasp of the character is much more important than proper grammar. We might include a note if we accept about improving their grammar if we feel it's lacking.

→ Playability. Would they be hard to interact with in game? Would it be hard for their canonmates to interact with? I'm not saying I'd never accept Dean Winchester's long lost daughter, but I'd be pretty skeptical and careful about that application, simply out of concern for the hypothetical Dean player.

→ Do they understand the rules and the way Passing works? This usually isn't grounds for rejection, it simply means we need to go over some things with them.

→ If there is headcanon in an app, it should be clearly marked as such. I know we accept all sorts of AUs and OCs and just kind of everyone, but we want to be clear that they understand the canon basis of the character before they go shifting it around.

→ A thread link might be requested for several reasons. If they don't link to threads for their voice and instead use a regular sample, and the voice isn't very clear, that's one case. Just as likely, though, is that we aren't sure how that kind of character would be played out in game, and we'd like to see an example of it. Someone like Minato (who I used for the sample app) is a silent protagonist, and I'd prefer to see thread links for him, because a lot of his character is the player filling in the blanks.

I think I got everything there... If you have any further questions, let 'em rip?